Question
gazebo
Hi Marc, last fall you were kind enough to answer a question about how to balance a gazebo on one end of a patio with a flowerbed on the other. I didn't have a picture at that time but now I do. I am a bit confused still about balancing the two. My thought is to do a flowerbed around gazebo, not sure how wide that should be and plant tall plantings on both sides of the entrance and lower planting going around. In the flowerbed I envision some either boxwood or yews or something evergreen with annuals in the inside. There is a sunburst locust already there. We have two acres with many blue spruce and deciduous type trees planted. Any suggestions, improvements, ideas I would love to hear. I live in zone 5, south eastern Ontario Canada. Thank you.
AnswerHello Elizabeth - the image of your landscape looks quite nice. I think you have the bare bones of "balance", already, and just need to add some "flesh" to it all. the planter around the tree is in proportion to the gazebo. A good width for a foundation planter is about 3 feet (1 meter), and nobody is going to take a tape measure to your two planters and see if their diameters match perfectly.
Ontario landscape plants are a bit far afield of where I live. Try chatting with these folks for specific plant selection help -- http://www.mgoi.ca/
As to design suggestions, I recall we discussed 揵alance? and as long as there is one item offsetting another, you can achieve it. It is not an exact science, but more of a design perception. Landscape design ideas are plentiful all over the web. When I feel empty of ideas, I like going to http://images.google.com and typing in 搇andscape design?to see what pops up. Each image is usually attached to a website full of creative suggestions.
Finally, if you have 2 acres at your disposal, I wonder what lies beyond your patio. to the left of the photo...possibly adding a path out away from the house might be nice. You would want something to go "to" however. A path to nowhere is not very attractive or special. Try that google trick on the word "landscape pathways" and see what comes up for you. A grove of evergreens, perhaps, or a bench.
By the way, sorry for the delay. I forgot to turn on my VACATION button. Good luck! ~M
